This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Natural resources, such as oil and gas, are used as fuel to power vehicles, heat homes, and generate electricity, in addition to a myriad of other uses. Once a desired resource is discovered below the surface of the earth, drilling and production systems are often employed to access and extract the resource. These systems may be located onshore or offshore depending on the location of a desired resource. Further, such systems generally include a wellhead assembly through which the resource is extracted. These wellhead assemblies may include a wide variety of components and/or conduits, such as casings, trees, manifolds, and the like, that facilitate drilling and/or extraction operations.
A long pipe, such as a casing, may be lowered into the earth to enable access to the natural resource. The casing may be secured within the wellhead by a hanger. In some instances, internal couplings may be used to secure components of the wellhead together, such as to secure the hanger within the wellhead. In such cases, the wellhead component, such as the hanger, is generally run into the wellhead using a running tool then locked in place using an additional tool designed to engage the internal coupling. This process may involve retrieving the running tool from the wellhead, replacing the running tool with a locking tool, and running the locking tool into the wellhead. The process of retrieving and running tools into the wellhead is both time-consuming and costly. In addition, further tools may be run into the wellhead to perform additional operations, such as over-pulling the wellhead component to ensure it is secured within the wellhead and cementing the wellhead component in place. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a tool with which multiple operations may be performed in a single trip (i.e., without retrieving, replacing, and running additional tools).